Civilization

"Anyplace you can go in New York City where you don't feel like you are in New York is a particularly magical experience. I believe that if you can live in this city and think it's a laid-back piece of real estate, then you've conquered civilization."
Jay Jay French, My City, My New York

New York Atmosphere

"I love just driving past Times Square. Whenever my wife and I have a chance and we're coming from uptown to downtown, we always try to go through Times Square. It's life and it's fun. The atmosphere of New York is the best in the world."
Kyle MacLachlan, My City, My New York

City of Strangers

Third Avenue

"This is a city of strangers, a place where people yearn both to be left alone and to connect. Nowhere do public and private come together so completely as they do in restaurants. That is why New York is—and always will be—a city devoted to the joy of eating out."
Ruth Reichl, My City, My New York

Intimate

Upper West Side

"New York is one of the most intimate places in the country. You know your dry cleaner. You know the guy who runs the coffee shop. I mean, I have the same bus driver twice a week. You're not going to get that in a lot of other cities where you're driving all the time. It's a very cozy place to live and I think a lot of people who haven't lived in a walking city sometimes don't understand that. I would really miss that. It's a giant city with these really small moments that make it worth it."
Pam Nelson, My City, My New York

Messy

Matthew Broderick at Madame Tussauds

"I like what a mess it is. Unlike Paris, which is beautiful, New York is sort of a messy, ugly, and beautiful place."
Matthew Broderick, My City, My New York

Solid Rock

West 114th Street

"New York is a piece of rock. It's solid rock that I think is informed with some kind of strange energy that makes crazy people do great things."
Kelsey Grammer, My City, My New York

Skyline

"I have never ever looked at the New York skyline and taken it for granted. Whenever I drive over the Triborough Bridge, every time I see it, I think, 'How cool is that.'"
Hal Rubenstein, My City, My New York

Heartbeat of the World

Third Avenue

"New York is the heartbeat of the world. It is the most extraordinary city. If you have a good idea or even a bad idea, you can make it happen in New York."
Kelsey Grammer, My City, My New York

Walking City

East 23rd

"Anything and everything in New York is within an arm's reach. There's something very equalizing about a walking city. All classes have to mingle. It's a mix of wealth and race, and you never end up in an ivory tower."
Hal Rubenstein, My City, My New York

Greedy for Life

Bowery

"If you are greedy for life, that's what New York is all about. If you're trying to get as much as you can every day, this city is the place to be."
Pam Nelson, My City, My New York

Nothing Like It

Jazz at Lincoln Center

"There has never been anything like New York on the face of planet Earth. They can say what they want about ancient Rome, but it wasn't like this."
Wynton Marsalis, My City, My New York